The 2008 Buick Lucerne adds a sporty Super model to its lineup. Buick’s largest car shares its basic design with the Cadillac DTS. Lucerne CX and CXL models have a 197-hp 3.8-liter V6 engine. CXS uses a 275-hp 4.6-liter V8. The new Super has a 292-hp version of the same V8. All Lucernes use a 4-speed automatic transmission and seat five. An available front-bench seat on CX and CXL increases capacity to six. Available safety features include front side airbags, curtain side airbags, ABS, traction control, antiskid system, blind-spot alert, and lane-departure warning. Leather upholstery is standard on CXL and CXS. Other available features include remote engine start, heated and cooled front seats, and a navigation system.

Thing is, though, that’s exactly what GM wants. The company views Buick as a home for quiet taste and subtle style, and has begun morphing the Buick lineup accordingly. For 2008, the Lucerne gains the corporate Buick nose, first introduced on the Velite show car in 2004, but it also gains a whole new sister model: the Lucerne Super. Buick’s new Super line (a Lacrosse Super is also offered, and the plan is to extend the philosophy across the Buick range) is meant to emphasize refined speed over brute force, delicacy over tire-shredding, and comfortable capability over racetrack-lapping prowess. Buick

The 2008 Buick Lucerne is offered in CX, CXL, CXS, and Super. The CX comes with a 3.8-liter V6, four-speed automatic transmission, cloth seats for five people, and 16-inch aluminum wheels. Six-passenger seating is available. It is available with the V6 or a 4.6-liter V8 engine. The CXL upgrades with leather seats, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, and 17-inch painted aluminum wheels. The suspension is tuned a little tighter and includes Airlift rear shocks for automatic level control. In the V8 you will find GM’s Magnasteer magnetic assist steering, with a faster ratio; and firms up suspension damping a little further. To help maintain better control in adverse conditions GM’s StabiliTrak electronic stability control system is available as an option. The CXS comes standard with the V8, 18-inch wheels, StabiliTrak, Magnasteer, and Magnetic Ride Control. The Super comes with a 292 hp Northstar V8 engine, woven leather trim, and Delphi magnetic ride control dampers.

In Super form, the changes to the Lucerne are few. A 292-hp Northstar V-8 gets plugged into the ‘Cerne’s engine bay, along with modified Delphi Magnetic Ride Control dampers. Woven leather trim is applied to the Lucerne’s seating surfaces, and subtle trim modifications (dual exhausts, new rocker panels, unique wood trim and wheels, among other things) also join the party. It’s a little ironic that Buick’s premium large sedan doesn’t get the division’s largest and most powerful engine (the 5.3-liter, 300-hp, 323 lb-ft, small-block V-8), but we can’t really complain, given that the less expensive and much lighter LaCrosse Super *does* get it.

The car has got some exquisite standard features such as dual-zone automatic climate control, leather-wrapped steering wheel, a power passenger’s seat, GM’s magnetic assist steering system, StabiliTrak electronic stability control system, 18-inch wheels, nine-speaker, 280-watt Harman Kardon audio system with XM Satellite Radio, StabiliTrak, and Magnetic Ride Control, leather seats with eight-way power seats etc.

2008 Buick Lucerne Models:
2008 Buick Lucerne CX
2008 Buick Lucerne CXL
2008 Buick Lucerne CXS
2008 Buick Lucerne Super